Russians are those who speak Russian...

In a weekly television review in Rossiyskaya Gazeta on May 18, 2004, Yuri Bogomolov expressed his indignation at the fact that Russian television, reacting sharply to the abuse of prisoners in Iraq, ignores, and sometimes even contributes to inciting nationalist sentiments in society (cf. article by Irina Petrovskaya). As an example, he cites the behavior of one of the TV presenters and spectators during the Eurovision Song Contest, as well as an episode that took place in the Basic Instinct program on the same First Channel. They talked about a dark-skinned boy who was doused with gasoline by his peers and almost burned alive. Dmitry Rogozin, the leader of the Rodina faction, reacted to this message, urging "not to dramatize such cases too much" , because "as long as the Russian people feel bad in their country, other nationalities will also be unwell . "

R. Abdulatipov, who was present in the studio, was outraged by Rogozin's statement. When he tried to find out who Rogozin meant by Russians, the Rodina leader explained that "these are those who speak Russian, know Russian culture, recognize Russian laws," but avoided direct recognition of R. Abdulatipov as Russian.

Sources

• Bogomolov Yury Dexterity of words and no fraud?.. // Russian newspaper. 2004. May 18.